“Welcome, customer. Do you wish to challenge it? The challenge fee is but 1 sense you know?”

The shopkeeper who said that was a fair-skinned beauty who looked like she had just slightly past 20 years of age. Although it was the same girl who climbed up the rope ladder from the house below the bridge, despite wearing a T-shirt and shorts at that time, she now had beautiful clothes on and the feeling of poverty could not be felt.

“Challenge … ?”

“You don’t know? This sword is the legendary sword that only heroes can draw. If you draw this sword, your heroic strength would be awakened and your body will be filled with enormous power. An idiot from somewhere who could not pull the sword out crushed the stone around it and carried it away. Of course, nobody could use a sword in such a form so it flowed from place to place until finally reaching here. If you intend to challenge it, do pull it after properly looking at the signpost in front.”

I see. So it’s such an event huh.

The 3 of us looked at the sword and the signpost and spoke our respective opinions.

“This sword, according to Metal Appraisal, it’s material is iron but it shines silver so maybe there’s something painted on?”

“Master, at the lowest line on the signpost written in small print: 【If you pull the sword out you must buy it. The price is 1000 sense.】”

“Iron sword huh. If that’s the case then the normal price would be about 500 sense. So it’s a profit of 500 sense huh.”

After hearing our opinions, the Onee-san pulled out a smile and,

“Ah, sorry, Excalisur is just a practice sword. This is the real thing!”

This time, she brought out a wooden staff stuck in a rock.

The tip of the staff had a red shining jewel inlaid and it looked very expensive.

“This is the Rod of Aklapios. It’s a staff that enhances the wielder’s magical power.” (TL: Asclepius – Greek god of medicine, healing, rejuvenation, and physicians. His serpent entwined staff is the symbol of medicine you see today.)

… A staff that boosts magical power you say …

It’s not made of metal so I won’t be able to tell but well, it’s most likely a counterfeit.

I bet a clause for coerced purchase like the ‘Purchase for 1000 sense if you pull it out’ is similarly written on the signpost placed in front of it.

“This! Isn’t this the Rod of Aklapios!”

Suddenly, a third party spoke from behind us.

It was a woman clad in black, with a black triangle cap and mantle, a black shirt and a black scarf. Furthermore, she had a black mask on that covered the area around her eyes.

It was a onee-san of seemingly similar age as the shopkeeper.

The onee-san spoke in a loud voice,

“My name is Marina, the greatest Archmage in the world. Shopkeep, I want you to hand over this staff by all means! I will pay if it is gold you wish for!”

“I’m sorry, customer. Because it has been ruled that this staff can only be passed to the person who pulls this staff out.”

“If that’s the case, please give me a chance to challenge it.”

The onee-san who named herself Marina passed 1 copper coin to the female shopkeeper and focused her strength.

However, she couldn’t pull the staff out.

Marina’s hands were shaking so it would seem that she was putting in considerable strength.

After about 3 minutes of challenging it, Marina hung her head as if having given up.

“Ah … it seems like it is impossible for me. Even though this staff is a staff that I would even pay 50000 sense for. I wonder if anybody will represent me to pull this staff out?”

“Unfortunately, until today, nobody has succeeded in pulling this staff out. How about it, onii-san and friends? Earlier I mistakenly prepared the practice use sword so as service I’ll let you try once for free.”

“Is that so, are you challenging it too? If you can pull the staff out, 50000 sense, no, I wish to buy it off from you for 100 thousand sense! Of course, I’ll also prepare a contract.”

I see.

Thinking about it normally, if I can pull the staff out, paying 1000 sense and selling it to the Onee-san for 50000 sense would be great.

I won’t lose anything if I can’t pull it out.

“Master, shall I challenge it?”

“No, Haru, wait a moment.”

I stepped one step towards Marina,

“Onee-san, are you really a Magician?”

“Of course. If you want, I can show you my ultra magic — Space Magic and Summoning Magic?”

“”Summoning Magic!?””

Carol and Haru exclaimed.

Apparently, Summoning Magic is a unique job skill in this world so only a few people can use it.

“Even though you haven’t actually requested to see it, I’ll show it to you! Since the gallery have gathered in anticipation.”

When the onee-san raised her hands flat and spun around, a silk hat-like hat appeared from nowhere.

“”Amazing! Is that Summoning Magic!?””

“N, no, that was … sorry, that was just the opening act! From now on, you all will lay eyes on the super magic of the century! Take a look, inside this silk hat that does not have anything within it!”

The onee-san said and covered the silk hat with a cloth.

Then, she chanted something like an incantation.

【According to his land, his time and his contract, appear, king of the skies, now is the time for you to show your form! Summon Bird!】

As soon as she recited that, she removed the cloth — 3 doves appeared within the hat that shouldn’t have anything in it and took off.

” … Impossible!? Doves appeared at where there wasn’t anything! It’s Summoning Magic!”

“Unbelievable, it’s a miracle! A miracle happened! Normally, Summoning Magic will only summon one each time but she summoned multiple birds at the same time.”

“Genius. It’s a genius magician!”

The gallery applauded as the onee-san waved her hat and collected the offered coins.

“It’s amazing right, master. I never imagined that I would be able to see Summoning Magic with my own eyes.”

“Carol also, Carol thought that she was in cahoots with the shopkeeper but it looks like she really is a genuine Archmage.”

… Eh?

Are the people here seriously saying that?

Just now … no matter how I look at it, it’s just a simple ‘sleight of hand’ trick?

I mean, her job isn’t Magician either.

It’s 【Street Performer Lv29】.

Secondly, by showing some pretend Space Magic, the cheers erupted. The coin donations were flying in.

Yup, although it was impressive skill, it’s still a sleight of hand after all.

It’s just like a teleporting playing card magic trick.

The pigeons flying in the sky circled around.

The skies were blue.

I waited for a while until the audience dispersed.

All that remained were the 3 of us, the pleased-looking Marina who earned a mountain of coins and the onee-san who was originally doing her business here.

“How was it? What are your opinions on my great magic?”

“Nope, isn’t it just a simple sleight of hand?”

I said to Marina who was proudly boasting.

Marina stiffened.

“Master, what is sleight of hand?”

Haru asked.

“Instead of magic, it is a technique relying on manual dexterity to make it seem like a paranormal phenomenon happened. For example, by hiding pigeons or such in your sleeves, you can make it seem like they appeared from within the hat as you pull off the cloth.”

“But, 3 doves flew out at the same time?”

“If you fold their wings in and tuck them in, pigeons will look very much smaller compared to when you look at them normally. Since pigeons are creatures with bodies mostly made up of feathers after all. You can try looking inside her sleeves, I believe there would definitely be fallen feathers.”

The moment I said that, Marina instantly made a gesture to hide her sleeves. At that moment, her black scarf slipped … and a slave collar could be seen.

” … I see, as there is a slave contract, everything will be invalidated if the master just states that the slave acted without his permission and the master will not be implicated. So it’s a scam using that system.”

“Eh, so there was such a system?”

By speaking up until that point, the shopkeeper onee-san raised her 2 hands,

“I surrender, it’s our defeat. Oh man, you’re good, onii-san and friends. Anybody can reasonably see through the first sword but I didn’t think that anybody would be able to see through the second act. Ahaha, even though the day before yesterday, an idiotic couple bought everything, the Excalibur sword and armour set as well as the metallic whip that was said to maybe awaken the power of a Monster Master and a robe merely painted with silver, today’s such an unlucky day.” (TL: So the previous sword was called Excalisur because Excalibur was bought by Jofre lol)

” … You’re acting surprisingly innocent.”

“Ah well. Since I didn’t lie at all. Even this staff, it really does raise magical power. Only to the extent of 1% though.”

The onee-san said so, pulled the staff from the stone and tapped her own shoulder as she said.

“The one who said that she wants to buy the staff is Marina there, it has nothing to do with me.”

“So cruel … didn’t you say you were my friend.”

“Be quiet, stranger anxiety.”

The onee-san pulled off Marina’s mask.

When that happened, her Japanese (Mongoloid) eyes were revealed and she crouched in panic as if to hide her eyes. Her face was beet red.

“Hau … Please, return it, please return my mask, Kannon.”

“Give me half of the coin donations if you want me to return it, Malina. Who do you think feed and raised a Wanderer like you?”

The 2 of them got along well together as they competed for the mask.

Eh?

“Wait a moment, erm, I don’t know if you’re Marina or Malina but you, are you perhaps … ” (TL: She introduced herself asマリーナwhile Kannon called herマリナ. Both the same pronunciation just with a longer ‘ri’ drag for the former. I’ll use Marina to indicate the former while Malina for the latter since … I prefer Marina and it’s what the author used for the volume title so I’ll stick to that as her name.)

I said in amazement.

“A Japanese?”

Author’s note:

It’s in the volume title but the 3rd volume’s heroine has finally appeared.

Marina. A street performer and accomplice to a swindler-like business.